Vaishnaw Says Nora Fatehi Song Banned, Warns of Stricter Digital Content Rules

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that the controversial Nora Fatehi song "Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke" has been banned, and warned that the government is prepared to take strict action to protect society from harmful digital content.

Vaishnaw was responding to a question raised by Samajwadi Party MP Anand Bhadauria, who brought up the controversy surrounding the song during the session.

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Vaishnaw used the occasion to lay out the government's broader position on the limits of free expression in a digital age.

"We should follow the reasonable restrictions imposed by the creators of the Constitution of India on freedom of speech. Freedom of speech cannot be absolute. Freedom of speech must be understood within the context of society," he said in the House.

He added that expression must also be understood within the context of culture, and signalled that the government was monitoring the rapid spread of digital content with growing concern.

"For the protection of the society, especially for the protection of children, for the protection of women, for the protection of the deprived groups of the society, the government is ready to take any hard action," Vaishnaw said.

The song, from the film KD: The Devil, drew widespread criticism almost immediately after its release for its allegedly vulgar lyrics and suggestive choreography.

Singer Armaan Malik was among those who publicly called the writing a "new low," while social media users broadly labelled the content as inappropriate and harmful.

The backlash escalated into formal legal complaints seeking a ban on the track, with petitioners citing its potential impact on minors and public decency. Under mounting pressure, the makers reportedly removed the song from YouTube before the government's ban was announced.

Vaishnaw's remarks in Parliament go beyond the immediate controversy and point to a wider regulatory intent — particularly around content that spreads rapidly through digital platforms and reaches vulnerable audiences including children.

The government's position, as articulated by the minister, frames creative freedom as something that must operate within constitutional and cultural boundaries — a stance that is likely to fuel ongoing debate between artists, platforms, and regulators over where those lines are drawn.